Psychodynamic Approach Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
Sigmund freud
•Describes unconscious forces that impact the mind and human behaviour
• unconscious mind
• personality
• defence mechanisms
What is the role of the unconscious mind?
•Stores biological drives and instincts
• contains disturbing memories that may have been forgotten about
• explored through dreams , slips of the tongue (Freudian slips)
What is the structure of personality?
3 parts
• ID - pleasure principle, selfish and demands instant gratification (birth)
• ego - reality principle, acts as mediator between ID and superego by employing defence mechanisms
• superego - morality principle, aims to perfect our behaviour through punishment and rewarding us
What are the 3 defence mechanisms
Used to cope with conflicting demands from ID and superego
• denial - not accepting aspects of reality
• repression - forcing a distressing memory out of your conscious mind
• displacement - transferring feelings from a true source onto a substitute target.
What are the psychosexual stages in order?
Each stage is associated with a particular conflict if not resolved leads to an adult fixation
• oral
• anal
•phallic
•latency
• genital
What is the oral stage?
• 0-1
• focus on mouth
• conflict - weaning off breast or bottle
• adult fixation - smoking, overeating
What is the anal stage?
•1-3
• focus on anal
• conflict - toilet training
• adult fixation - messiness/ neatness
What is the phallic stage?
•3-6
• focus on genitalia
• conflict - Oedipus/ electra complex
• adult fixation - over ambition
What is the Oedipus complex?
• sexual desire for mother result in castration anxiety for young boys
• identity with father as a result of this and internalise their morals and values
What is the Electra complex?
• girls experience penis envy towards father
• replace this with the drive to want a baby
• identify with mother and internalise their morals and values
Strengths of the psychodynamic approach
+ explains human behaviour
• draws attention to experiences in childhood and later development
+ practical application
• psychoanalysis therapy created a new approach to treatment
Limitations of the psychodynamic approach?
- psychoanalysis is harmful
• may not apply to all mental disorders such as SZ - unfalsifiable
• not open to empirical testing eg ID
